Photo by Graham Cullen Local video producer Conrad Weaver will be traveling to Guatemala, where he will shoot a video about children living in a garbage dump.

Owner of Conjostudios LLC, which produces videos for organizations and companies, Weaver will use his skills to produce a promotional video for Mi Refugio, a nonprofit group that works with children living in the Guatemala City garbage dump.

Weaver heard about the project from a friend who supports the endeavor. He got in touch with Harry Engen of Rockville, whose daughter Kari is the founder of the Mi Refugio school.

"Kari grew up in Rockville, visited Guatemala about 22 years ago, left everything and moved there, living with the families in the dump for an entire year," Weaver said. "She gained their trust, then started a school for the children living there."

About 10 years ago, a film company produced a documentary about her work called "Children of the Fourth World." The piece aired on PBS, Weaver said.

"What I will be doing is somewhat of a follow-up to that documentary," Weaver said. "I'll be interviewing several people who were children in that earlier documentary. Some of them are now teaching at the school they attended as children."

Weaver's work is pro bono.

"Obviously, I would like to get paid for any work I do. After all, I'm a businessman. However, there are some causes in this world that are worthy of donating one's time and services to. This is one," Weaver said.

Mi Refugio relies completely on the donations of friends to pay their operating expenses, Weaver said.

The video will be a tool for Kari to use in raising funds for her organization, Weaver said.

"It will be a great way for her to share the story of what Mi Refugio is doing for the lives of these precious children," Weaver said. "For me, the sacrifice of losing a week's pay is nothing compared to the lifetime (of) sacrifice Kari has made for the children of Guatemala City. I'm thrilled and honored just to be asked to come there to produce this."

Engen travels to Guatemala three times a year, each time taking a group of volunteers for the project, he said.

"Teams do medical outreaches to neighboring villages, so we're looking for doctors, nurses, dentists," Engen said.

The project also needs people who can teach the children English, and also teach them about computers and how to sew and bake. The project is about to start woodworking lessons.

Three of the students are working for the project, Engen said.

Weaver is schedule to leave Sept. 25 and return Oct. 4.

He started Conjostudios LLC in the fall of 2006, operating the company as a side job while he worked full time for Frederick Christian Fellowship Church as media/marketing producer.

"Then, in March of 2008, I took a leap of faith and went full time operating Conjostudios LLC," Weaver said.

He has videotaped Capitol Hill hearings, interviews of senators and congressmen for a Los Angeles news organization and corporate events. Weaver's most recent contract is with Jacobs Engineering and the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, where he's shooting training videos at a Fort Detrick facility.